Synopsis
Koichi Nishi (
Toshiro Mifune) is a grieving son seeking revenge for the "suicide" of his father. By assuming a new identity he rises through the
ranks of the Public Corporation and cynically marries the President's daughter to better infiltrate the company and exposes the corrupt practice that was responsible for his father's death. However, as Koichi falls in love with his wife, disaster looms.
The Bad Sleep Well, the first film made by
Kurosawa's own, newly founded production company, was also the first over which he had complete control. He wanted to make "a movie of some social significance" and decided to target the culture of corruption he saw pervading post-war Japanese society. This impressive tale of greed, corporate corruption and revenge is a powerful indictment of the dark side of business and politics with distinct overtones of
Hamlet.
Kurosawa directed three adaptations from
Shakespeare. Two were recreated as samurai movies:
Macbeth became
Throne of Blood (1957), and
King Lear inspired his last major film, the epic
Ran (1985).
The Bad Sleep Well comes between the two and is the least-known. In addition to its contemporary setting it is the freest adaptation of the three.